Back in USA… for just 10 days

I’ve been here for less than a week and I have been bombarded with words, sounds and images of the conflicting messages that are part of our culture.

First, was the complaint that the President was not doing anything about Gadhafi but once he acted on the basis of a UN resolution then loud voices began to ask why are we involved in this…

In “Hugs from Libyans” a well-articulated article Nicholas Kristof explains that while the questions being raised are valid and deserve answers, it is clear that the UN action prevented the mindless slaughter of countless kids, Moms, Dads and grandparents.

In the mean time, my heart and mind were focused on Japan, a nation that is often in my thoughts. As I watched the terror of their tragedy (an experienced that started for me in Jakarta) memories of my days in Banda Ache brought me pain and sorrow. I’ve have smelled the smells and seen the destruction of a Tsunami; I was there two weeks after it all happened and I was changed by the experienced.

As I emailed my friends in Japan, I was encouraged by their faith and expectation of how this destruction will likewise result in change for them and change for their nation. It was most heartening.

Yet at the same time, I began to also hear voices that sought to bring comfort and encouragement but are framed in a perspective which sees these tragedies as “judgments from God”. To most ears, the message is unmistakable, God is capricious and is angry…

I encourage you to check out what Brian McLaren wrote in a response to John Piper views on theodicy.

Then yesterday, my son Zak happened to choose a radio station where the voice identified itself as defender of “conservative causes”. The voice made some remarks about Muslims, followed by an attack on the President and then complained because no one was condemning the bus attack in Jerusalem and on and on.

By the way, this morning, TIME reports that the police in Jerusalem is perplexed with the attack as the Palestinian Authority has been closely cooperating with Israel thus thwarting terrorism. The city has had no terrorist attacks since 2008!

I see evil flourishing in this world… since January; I’ve been in 12 nations! But at the same time, I see unprecedented good emerging in many places. To me this is all part of the coming of the Kingdom.

The question is, which side of the line are we standing in?